Part 14 - Chapter 1 - The Honeymoon is Over

"Oh, I'm so glad to be home," Lucy sighed as she and Craig walked up the front steps. "Even if it meant cutting our honeymoon short . . . I'm sorry we didn't get to stay the extra day."

Craig smiled her, "Don't be sorry, babe. I understand."

Lucy unlocked the front door, but before she could step inside, Craig held her back.

"Just because we're home early doesn't mean the honeymoon has to be over," he said with a grin and took her in his arms.

"What are you doing?" Lucy laughed as Craig lifted her off her feet.

"Carrying my bride over the threshold." Once they were inside, Craig set Lucy down on her feet and kissed her. "You sit down and rest. I'll bring in the luggage."

Lucy smiled as she watched Craig go outside. Then she went into the living room and collapsed onto the sofa.

The honeymoon had been wonderful. They has spent their days lounging on the beach, evenings dining out at fine restaurants and seeing shows, and the rest of the time alone together in their hotel room. It would have been perfect except for the fact that Lucy was in her third trimester and even the most relaxing activities left her feeling exhausted. Otherwise, they wouldn't have come home early.

While they were away, the maid had brought in the newspapers and left them stacked on the coffee table. Lucy hadn't intended on reading them just then, but the headline on the front page caught her attention, "Townsend Drops Stuart"

Curious, she picked up the paper and began scanning the article.

"The Stuart-Townsend Corporation, which has been under investigation for misappropriation on funds, has changed its name to The Townsend Corporation to distance itself from its former Vice President, Clifford Stuart. Stuart, who died after sustaining a heart attack, was recently revealed to be the one responsible for the missing funds.

"CEO Arthur Townsend was available for comment only by telephone as he recovered in the hospital from a mild stroke.

"'I know it seems unethical to place blame on a dead man, but at this point it couldn't be helped. The truth had to come out and I take full responsibility for it not coming out sooner.'"

Lucy stared at the words in shock. This couldn't be happening.

Before she had a chance to let the news sink in, Craig entered the room. She quickly folded up the newspaper and shoved it under the couch. Luckily, Craig was too preoccupied to notice.

"I found the mail on your desk," he said, dropping a stack of envelopes angrily on the coffee table. "I got a letter from James' lawyer. He won't take the deal. We're going to take it to court. Damn!" He paced a few steps and then announced, "I've got to call my lawyer," before storming across the room to the telephone.

Lucy slowly released the breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. She had her own problems to worry about. She had to talk to Arthur and find out what had happened.

"Eileen, we're home!" Veronica called out as she pushed a wheelchair-bound Arthur into the house. Once they were in the living room she turned to her husband and asked, "Is there anything I can get you, darling?"

"No, I'm fine," Arthur replied gruffly.

"Then I'll get some blankets from upstairs and make up your bed in the living room."

"You don't need to do that. I'm not an invalid!"

"I know, but you're still recovering and I don't want you to overexert yourself by going up and down the stairs. I'll be right back."

As Veronica went upstairs, Art picked up the daily newspaper. He cast a quick glance at it, only noting the headline before casting it aside in disgust.

"Eileen?" Veronica called out again. She paused at her step-daughter's door and knocked. The door swung open at her touch to reveal a dark and empty room.

Veronica quickly glanced into the room to make sure it was empty. Then she quietly closed to door and continued down the hallway.

"She knew her father was coming home tonight," Veronica thought to herself as she retrieved the bedding from the linen closet. "I wonder where she could be."

"Hey, Eileen. You made it," Robi cheerfully greeted Eileen. He had to shout to be heard over the blaring stereo.

"Are you kidding? How could I pass up a bonfire toga party with a keg?" she asked, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Oh yeah? So where's your toga?"

Where's yours?" she retorted.

"We ran out of bed sheets in the house. What's your excuse?"

"Me in a toga?" she laughed. "You must be crazy. Besides, it's freezing out here!"

"That's what the bonfire is for . . . You should have worn one, I would have loved to see you dressed in a bed sheet," he said suggestively.

"In your dreams," she teased back, but the words seemed to echo in her ears. Something suddenly struck her as so familiar that the chaos around her seemed to slip into the background. When her mind returned to the present she realized Robi was talking to her. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"If you're really cold, we could go inside for a few minutes," he said, his tone more serious than before.

Eileen nodded slowly. Suddenly she didn't feel like partying. "Yeah. Let's go."

Robi walked Eileen as far as the front steps of the frat house, then he stopped. Without a word, he put his hands on her waist and started to lean in closer.

Eileen pushed him away. "What do you think you're doing?"

Robi looked confused, "What's wrong? I thought we were getting along."

"We were."

"So, then what's the problem? Don't you want to get to know each other better?"

"Not like that!"

"Fine!" he huffed, his tone more sarcastic than sincere. "Sorry I misunderstood. I'm going back to the party. See you around."

Eileen rolled her eyes as he turned and walked away. As soon as he was back with the group he was immediately approached by the redhead who had been eyeing him all evening and Eileen was left standing alone in the dark.

After a moment, she started across the lawn, back to the party, but this time she watched it all with a sense of detachment. Everyone looked so ridiculous, dancing wildly to the music and drinking beer straight from the tap, while drunken frat boys tossed anything and everything that wasn't nailed down onto the bonfire to the cheers of their brothers.

"Why did I ever think this was fun?" she wondered. As she walked away from the party, she resolved to find better ways to spend her time.

Part 14 - Chapter 2 - The Honeymoon is Over

"Lawrence! What a pleasant surprise," Audrey greeted Lawrence with a kiss as she invited him into the apartment. "What brings you by?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Oh," she said, the gravity of his tone filled her with concern. "Have a seat," she said quietly.

Lawrence got right to the point. "I had a talk with Chad Vanderburg. He told me R.J. Majors blackmailed you to gather information on the company. Is it true?" As he spoke his voice was cold and he eyed her sternly. He had already made up his mind on the matter, but he wanted to hear it from her.

"It is," Audrey said quietly. She was barely able to speak above a whisper and wasn't able to look him straight in the eye.

Lawrence nodded slowly, "I thought so."

"I didn't want to do it," Audrey insisted. "But he threatened me. At first he just wanted to know where Chad was and what happened to the money. But when he found out that I didn't know, he said he would put the blame on me. I felt like I had no choice."

"But you did."

"I know that now."

"What exactly have you done to get this information? I need to know everything."

"I applied for a secretarial job at the office. When I didn't get it R.J. wanted me to get information from my brother who worked at the Stuart household. Then -"

When she paused, Lawrence continued for her. "Then you used me."

"No!" Audrey said firmly and leapt up from her seat.

"Don't lie."

"I swear to you, I'm not," she insisted. "That day you came into my office to ask about real estate I did call R.J. and told him you had been there, but only to try to get him off my back. He wanted me to get information from you, but I didn't even try to. You have to know that I didn't. What did I ever ask you about your job that I could have told R.J.? Nothing. And you know you never told me anything about your work."

"That's not an excuse. That doesn't make what you've done any better. You were still using me. If not to get information, then to get R.J. off your back."

"But it wasn't like that. I never had any intention of telling R.J. anything I might have learned from you. I didn't go out with you to find out information or because R.J. wanted me to. I spent time with you, because I wanted to, because I like you. It wasn't because of R.J."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because it's the truth! God, do you think I would have done this for R.J.? You don't know what I had to put up with just to keep seeing you. Especially after R.J. told me to cut off contact with you and I refused. I know I've made some bad choices, but I draw the line at prostituting myself. But if you can't believe me, then I've just been wasting my time."

As much as he didn't want to, he believed she was telling the truth. "I'm sorry, but I had to ask."

"I know you did," Audrey said quietly. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I should have told you. You have every right to think the worst of me and if you never want to speak with me again, I'll understand."

Lawrence sighed heavily, not sure what to say. He had come here planning to tell her just that, that he didn't want to see her again, but now that they had talked, he wasn't so sure. He knew he was probably a fool for believing her, but he couldn't help it. "I don't think the worst of you," he said reluctantly. "But I should go."

Audrey nodded and walked him to the door. "Take some time and give me a call whenever you're ready."

"I will," he promised and let Audrey kiss him on the cheek before turning to leave the building.

Lauren ducked into the stairwell before Lawrence or Audrey could see her. She had been keeping a close eye on the both of them to see if her messages had gotten through. Obviously Audrey wasn't taking her warnings seriously enough. Otherwise Lawrence wouldn't have come back to her apartment.

Lauren was furious. "What do I have to do to get through to that bimbo? I've done everything short of murdering someone! What else is left?"

She gasped. Suddenly she had an idea. "That's it. That will show them," she thought. With a devious grin on her lips, she went to start planning.

Part 14 - Chapter 3 - The Honeymoon is Over

"Lucy, look outside," Craig called out. He had been on his way to meet his lawyer, but hadn't made it past the front door.

"What is it?" Lucy asked, joining him at the window. She gasped when she saw camera crews and reporters gathered on the sidewalk in front of the house.

"They must have heard we were coming home from our honeymoon," Craig deduced. "They're probably doing a story on the lawsuit and want me to comment."

Lucy just stared speechlessly as Craig glared out the window. She wasn't so sure that was the story they were after.

"I'll try to sneak out the back way," Craig said, pausing to kiss Lucy goodbye as he went. "See ya this afternoon, babe."

Lucy watched out the front door as Craig drove out of the garage, maneuvered past the reporters, and disappeared down the street.

"Maybe I should have told him," she thought, but she couldn't bring herself to talk about her father's scandal. It was silly, considering the whole world already knew about it, but she hated the thought of even one more person knowing, even if that person was her husband.

No one was supposed to find out at all. Arthur had promised to help her without telling anyone her secret. Now that it was out, she felt so betrayed. She needed to know what had gone wrong.

When she called the Townsend's number, there was no answer, so she tried the hospital. The receptionist who answered informed her that Arthur had been released the night before. That news struck Lucy as odd. If Arthur wasn't at home, where would he be the morning after being released from the hospital?

"Hector, do you have those reports ready?" Lawrence asked.

"I'm working on them," Hector said lightly, without looking up from his work.

"They needed to be finished this morning."

Hector set his work aside and turned to Lawrence. Glaring, he snapped, "I'll have them done soon."

"See that you do," Lawrence replied before walking away.

Hector grumbled as he turned back to his computer screen. He took his frustration out on the keyboard, tapping harder on the keys than necessary. He couldn't believe he was taking orders from Lawrence. "It's not fair."

He sighed and stared at the screen in front of him. There was nothing to do about it for now, except go along with it and hope that this arrangement was only temporary.

"Mr. Townsend. Welcome back!" Amanda greeted Arthur as he and Veronica entered the office. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, fine," he replied tersely. "Would you call everyone into the boardroom, Amanda? I'd like to have a meeting."

"Of course," Amanda nodded, before going to notify the others.

"Now, Arthur, you're going to keep this meeting short, right? I don't want you -"

"Overdoing it? Yes, I know," he sighed. "I'll try to keep it brief."

"Good," she said leaning down to give him a kiss. "While you're having your meeting, I'm going to run down to the drugstore. I'll be back in a bit."

After gathering in the boardroom and welcoming their boss back from the hospital, the staff waited anxiously in silence as Arthur looked over the records made during his absence. Finally he set them aside and leaned back.

"I have to say, I'm impressed. I was afraid this company had seen its last days, but it looks like you were all able to pull together when it counted and keep us afloat. You've all done an excellent job and I'm very proud of all of you. I'm only sorry that I let you down."

The others opened their mouths to protest, but Arthur motioned for them to remain silent. "No, it's true. We might have avoided this mess if I had made better choices. So I think it's best for the company if I resign."

A stunned silence filled the room. No one was quite sure what to say. The same question was on everyone's mind, but no one wanted to ask it for fear of appearing overeager.

Finally Amanda dared to ask, "But who would take over after your gone?"

"That still has to be decided. I will arrange a meeting with the board of directors to conduct interviews with any interested candidates and we'll decide from there. In the meantime, carry on as you have been. Again, I'm very proud of how well all of you have stepped up. And Mr. Vanderburg, Chad, welcome to the company."

Hector lingered behind as the others filed out of the boardroom. After they had left, Arthur asked, "Is there something you want to discuss with me, Hector?"

"Yes," Hector frowned. "Why are you doing it this way, going through the board to determine your successor? You're the majority shareholder, so it's your decision. Wouldn't it be easier just to name someone yourself, considering you already know all of us?"

"I'm sticking with my decision," Arthur said firmly, obviously not wanting to discuss it.

Hector half-nodded, half-shrugged. He started to move towards the door, but hesitated. "You know, Lawrence has done a great job, but with the situation being what it is, you should know that we've all been chipping in to help him out, for the good of the company. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to put him down, but when things go back to normal, I don't know if he'll be able to handle it on his own. I'm just saying, if he's the one who gets the job, I don't want to see him get in over his head."

Arthur eyed Hector suspiciously. "I'm sure Lawrence appreciates your concern. But we'll let the board decide."

"How's it going, Martin?" Chad said to Andrew as they left the boardroom. He had wanted to have a word with Andrew since he first recognized him, but since he started working at the company, he had kept too busy to socialize.

"Not bad," Andrew said shortly and quickened his step. He recognized Chad as well and had done his best to avoid him.

"You know, you and I should go out after work and have a drink or two."

As Andrew hesitated, Amanda spoke up. "You can't tonight. We're going to have dinner at my sister's, remember?"

"That's right. Sorry," Andrew said and started to walk away.

"It will only be a quick drink. I'm sure I'll get you to your dinner on time," Chad grinned brightly. He was having too much fun with this. "Don't forget, I owe you one."

When Hector returned to the front of the office, Lawrence was waiting for him. "Hector, those reports."

"Relax, Laurie, they're coming," Hector grumbled as he continued towards his desk.

"Don't call me that," Lawrence cringed. He had always hated that nickname, especially coming from Hector. "It's Lawrence . . .unless you'd prefer Mr. Arrendale."

Hector stopped in his tracks. This was too much. "You know, you could remember that I'm the reason you got this job in the first place!"

"As long as you remember how much I've kept quiet about up to this point," Lawrence replied in a low, even voice. "If you decide to cause problems here I could not only have you fired, but see that you go to prison for a very long time."

Hector eyed Lawrence closely, "So why haven't you, already?" When Lawrence seemed at loss for a quick reply, the answer suddenly came to Hector. "Eileen . . .Eileen won't let you," he grinned just slightly. "I'll just go get those reports for you, Lawrence."

Part 14 - Chapter 4 - The Honeymoon is Over

"Blaine? Hi. It's Reese," Reese spoke into the telephone receiver.

"Oh hi! I've been trying to call you. How's it going?"

Reese smiled brightly at the cheerfulness of his voice. "Fine. Busy," she replied, her voice quick and nervous. "I got your messages. This is the first free moment I've found to call."

"It's alright. It's nice to hear from you."

"You too," she replied, relieved that he couldn't see her blushing.

"Are you busy tomorrow night? I was thinking about going to a concert on campus and I thought you might want to come with me."

"Yeah, maybe. It depends on how the meeting with my client goes this morning . . .Oh, I'm sorry, Blaine. I have to go. My secretary is buzzing me." After a quick goodbye, Reese switched lines. "Yes?"

"Mr. Sexton is here."

"Thank you. Send him in."

A moment later, Craig entered the office. Reese greeted him and invited him to have a seat.

Reese cleared her throat and adjusted the papers in front of her on the desk. She could tell Craig was already agitated, so she spoke in what she hoped was a soothing tone. "While you were away I checked with the copyright office. As I expected, Mr. Spencer has applied for a copyright on the songs in question."

"That's not good, is it?"

"No, if he holds the copyright than you won't be able to use the songs yourself without paying royalties to him. But-" Reese added quickly before Craig could get a word in. "We can contest that his application was fraudulent, that these songs were a joint work, and that your name should be added to the copyright."

"Great. Then do it."

"First, Mr. Sexton. I need tangible proof that you co-authored these songs."

"Of course I wrote them. How am I supposed to prove something like that? I know the truth and so does James."

"Do you have a written copy of your songs or a recorded copy of one of your performances? Something that can be dated would be preferable. Are there any witnesses who can testify that you collaborated on the songs or who would have heard you perform them before Mr. Spencer applied for the copyright? I can't guarantee that these pieces of evidence will win your case, but they would certainly help."

Craig sighed, "I'll see what I can find."

"Excuse me," Reese said as she pressed the blinking button on her telephone. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, Miss Burroughs," the receptionist's voice spoke through the speaker. "I have a call for Mr. Sexton on line one. It's his wife and she says it's urgent."

Reese looked at Craig questioningly. When he nodded, she thanked her secretary and handed the receiver to Craig.

"Lucy? What's going on?"

"Craig," she gasped, her voice, desperate. "I need you to come home."

"What's wrong?"

"I think I'm having the baby."

"I'll be right there. Just hold on, babe. I'm on my way."

Lucy hung up the phone. As a medical student, she knew just what to expect, but she was still scared about the prospect of having a baby herself and she definitely didn't want to be home alone while she was in labor.

She stood at the front door, looking out. The reporters were still out there and they were blocking the end of the driveway. What if Craig couldn't get back to the house? What if they couldn't get out to get to the hospital?

Lucy went back into the living room. She decided she should call for an ambulance, just in case.

She was halfway to the phone when another contraction hit her. She doubled over in pain and gripped the television stand to hold herself up.

She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes tightly. "Craig, hurry."

Her meeting with Craig cut short, Reese found herself ahead of schedule. She decided to take advantage of the few spare moments and went out to the local coffee shop for a bite to eat.

While waiting in line, she looked away from the counter for a moment. When she turned back around, a man had stepped in front of her and was starting to place his order.

"Excuse me," she said. When he ignored her, she spoke up. "Excuse me. I was next."

James turned around and shrugged. "You should've been paying attention."

As he turned back to the clerk, Reese tried to object. "But- I- You can't-," she sputtered.

"Is there anything else?" the woman behind the counter asked.

James sighed, his conscience getting the better of him. "Yeah, hold on," he said and then turned to Reese. "Look, I'm sorry about cutting in front of you. Let me order for you. What do you want?"

Reese was taken aback, "What?"

"I'm just trying to make up for acting like such a jerk. What are you having?"

"Nothing. I'll place my own order. Thank you."

James stepped back. He hadn't been expecting a rejection, let alone such a cold one. "Fine. Suit yourself."

Suddenly uncomfortable, Reese avoided looking at James again, though she could tell he cast more than one glance in her direction. She was relieved that he didn't try to talk to her again and left immediately after collecting his order.

When Craig arrived at the house, the reporters were gone. Instead a police car was parked in front of the house.

He pulled over to the curb and jumped out of the car. "What's going on?" he asked the police officer.

"Sir, you need to move along."

"But I live here. My wife just called me. She's having our baby."

"It's alright, sir. The paramedics have taken your wife to the hospital. She's doing fine. You can meet her there."

"Thanks," Craig said quickly and hurried back to his car.

Part 14 - Chapter 5 - The Honeymoon is Over

"You seem like you're in a good mood," Andrew remarked to Amanda as they walked up to Alma's front door. "I guess that means Vanessa isn't coming."

Amanda glared at Andrew. "No, she's going to be here. I told Alma I'd give her a chance."

"What changed your mind?"

"Alma and I just had a little talk," Amanda answered.

When Alma had called to invite them to dinner, Amanda's first question had been if Vanessa was invited.

"What do you have against her anyway?" Alma had asked.

"I don't like she acts around my husband."

"Oh, Amanda, no one is interested in your husband but you."

Amanda knew her jealousy had no basis and that she should make an effort to get to know her new sister, but it wasn't easy for her and Andrew certainly wasn't helping.

When they walked inside, Vanessa and Bernice were chatting together in the living room. Amanda was starting to have second thoughts.

"Is Alma in the kitchen? I should offer to give her a hand."

"Don't bother, hun," Vanessa spoke up. "She already has Ed to help her."

"Ed?" Amanda questioned.

Vanessa nodded, "Dr. Wilton."

"Really?"

"That smells wonderful," Edward remarked.

"It's just spaghetti and meatballs," Alma said simply, but she couldn't hide the smile that curled across her lips at the compliment.

"It's not often I get a home cooked meal, other than what I fix myself. My cooking skills leave something to be desired . . .Is there anything I can do to help? Provided it's not too complicated."

"You can stir the pasta and make sure it doesn't stick . . .if that's not too difficult for you to manage . . ."

"No, I think that is right at my skill level."

By the time dinner was served, Amanda was starting to see Vanessa in a new light. The way she was able to include even the painfully shy Bernice in the group's conversation made Amanda believe that she really was the warm and friendly person everyone said she was. She was finding it harder and harder to dislike the woman.

"Do you like the theater, Amanda?" Vanessa asked as they sat down to dinner.

"Yes, but I can never get Andrew to go with me."

"Husbands," Vanessa scoffed. For a moment her mind started to drift back to her marriage to Sebastian and she frowned. She shook the memories from her mind and got back to her original topic. "Anyway, I just got a part in a play and I would love to get tickets for you, if you're interested."

"Oh . . .yes. I'd like that," Amanda replied.

"And if you can't drag Andrew out with you, then we'll make a girls' night of it."

"Drag me where?" Andrew asked, alerted to the conversation by the sound of his name.

"To my new play. I'm finally getting back into acting."

"What about the bar? You're not going to reopen it?"

"No, I'm done with that. I closed the bar and transferred ownership of the building over to Lawrence. I'm getting rid of everything from my old life and starting fresh."

"You sold it to Lawrence?" Andrew asked.

"Well, not so much sold it as gave it to him. I felt I owed him something to make up for what my husband took from him all those years ago. Besides I would rather keep my life simple right now. I'm planning on getting rid of the Boardwalk and the house and moving into a little townhouse or condo."

"Are you getting rid of our mother's house as well?" Amanda asked.

"I've already put it on the market."

"You what?" Amanda dropped her fork. "And you didn't tell us?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course, I should have offered you the first chance to buy it. I'm sorry. I didn't think. If you want it, let me know and I'll call my realtor, I'll give you a good deal."

Amanda angrily stood from her chair. "Buy it? You want us to buy back our own house, when you gave Lawrence Arrendale a piece of property that never even belonged to him for absolutely nothing."

"Amanda, you don't understand . . ."

"No, I don't. We're leaving. Come on, Andrew," Amanda ordered, pulling Andrew towards the door before he could finish chewing. "I knew this was a mistake."

"Oh," Vanessa sighed as the front door slammed shut. "I'm sorry, Alma. I didn't mean to ruin your dinner party. It seems like I can never say the right thing around Amanda. Do you think she'll ever give me the chance to explain?"

Alma didn't look up from her plate. "I think you should go."

Vanessa looked at Edward sadly, who only responded with an apologetic shrug. Slowly she rose from her chair. "Oh, ok. Thank you for the dinner."

Alma and Edward sat in silence at the empty dinner table. Alma lifted her fork to her mouth, but then lowered it again without taking a bite. She sighed. "I should clear the table."

"I'll help."

"No, finish your dinner. I've just lost my appetite."

Edward took a few more bites while Alma gathered the dishes, before taking his own plate to the sink and offering to help with the washing up.

"Such a waste," Alma muttered as she threw out the spaghetti left over on her guests' dinner plates.

"It is a shame. It was delicious."
After the dishes were done, Alma walked Edward to the door.

"Thank you for dinner, Alma. I had a wonderful time."

"I'm sure you did," Alma replied sarcastically. "Next time I won't invite my family."

"That sounds even better," Edward grinned. "I never realized all that I was missing by not having a family."

"Still, I'm beginning to think it's better than being all alone," Alma remarked. "You will come to dinner again, won't you?"

"Of course," he answered eagerly. "I'm so glad you've decided to give me a second chance. I promise I won't make the same mistake twice. I won't bring up marriage again."

"It's ok. You can mention it if you want to," Alma said shyly and quickly retreated towards the door. "Goodnight."

Part 14 - Chapter 6 - The Honeymoon is Over

"Where have you been? You should have been in hours ago," R.J. scolded Lauren as she walked into the office.

"Sorry. I got caught up in something . . . But I'm here now, ok?" she grinned cheerfully.

"If you want to be a part of this company, you need to shape up. I've been trying to do everything myself, but I can't conduct interviews when I have to rush off to answer the phone and do all of the other things that need to be done around here."

"You know, we should really hire a temporary secretary to take care of that kind of thing and I can help you with the interviews and the other business stuff."

"You won't be helping me with anything at all, unless you get your act together."

"I'm sorry, R.J. I'll do better from now on, I promise," she smiled sweetly at him. "You can count on me."

"I hope so," R.J. said, eyeing her suspiciously. As soon as he hired a few new people, he resolved to be rid of her, but until then he needed all the help he could get. For now, he was going to have to put up with her. "I have a list of applicants on the front desk that need to be interviewed. Could you set up the appointments?"

"Sure thing," Lauren said chipperly and hurried to the desk. She looked through the papers and picked up the receiver, but when R.J. walked away, she dialed a different number.

"Hi, I called earlier with an order. I just want to confirm that the delivery has been made . . .The name?" she echoed. "Audrey Jordan."

Audrey returned home from work to an empty apartment. Justin would be out most of the evening, helping Mrs. Burgess with some social function she was involved in, so Audrey had the apartment all to herself for the evening and she was looking forward to it. Justin was easy enough to live with, but there were times she missed having her own place.

She was thinking about starting her evening with a leisurely bubble bath, when the bouquet of roses on the desk caught her attention. She set down her keys and picked up the card.

Dear Audrey,

Meet me tonight at Rodney's, 8:00. Don't be late! I have a surprise for you.

Love, Lawrence

Audrey smiled to herself. That bubble bath would have to wait for another night. She had to get ready.

Cassandra leaned closer to Blaine and yelled into his ear, "I love this band. Aren't they great?"

Blaine shouted back, hoping he could be heard over the blaring music, "Awesome."

"I'm so glad you decided to come. Are you having a good time?"

Blaine nodded, "Yeah. It looks like your sister is having fun too." He motioned to Zara who was going all out with her crazy dance moves.

"Zara's a nut on the dance floor," Cassie laughed. "Do you want to dance?"

Blaine smiled and shrugged, "Sure."

As they danced, Cassandra was having the time of her life. This night was going even better than she had imagined. Blaine was so sweet and so cute. Whenever he was around she had the strongest feeling. Now with the pulsating music and swirling lights, it was almost overwhelming.

She was considering trying to dance a little bit closer to him when she saw someone tap him on the shoulder. Cassie stood back and Blaine turned to see Reese standing next to him.

"Reese, you made it!" Blaine greeted her with a hug.

"I needed a break from my work," she replied before waving hello to Cassandra.

Cassie tried to muster a smile as she waved back and then quickly turned her attention to the musicians on stage.

After a few minutes, Reese tugged to Blaine's sleeve to get his attention. "I think I'm going to go," she said motioning towards the door. When he replied with a confused look, she explained, "It's too loud."

"I'll go with you," he insisted. "Hold on." He turned to Cassie, "Hey, we're going to take off. Thanks for inviting me."

"Oh," Cassie said, trying to mask her disappointment as Blaine escorted Reese to the door. "No problem."

From the moment she left the apartment, Audrey couldn't shake the feeling that she was being followed. She kept glancing in her rear view mirror while she was driving and she looked around carefully when she got out of the car, but she didn't see anyone. She shook the thought from her mind. "Ugh, why am I being so paranoid?"

Audrey got all the way into the restaurant before she realized she left her purse in the car. Since she didn't see Lawrence immediately, she decided to go back to the car to get it.

As soon as she stepped outside she ran into a familiar face. "Chad? What are you doing here?" she frowned.

Chad stared at her blankly, obviously searching for a quick excuse, but not finding one.

"Oh my gosh. Have you been stalking me? I knew someone followed me here."

"It's not like that," he tried to explain.

"Then you do admit you followed me here?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were ok. I was worried that R.J. might do something to hurt you."

"You should have thought of that before, Chad. The time to worry about me and R.J. was the same time that you disappeared without a trace. I'm done with it. I'm done with you. I can take care of myself, so stay out of my life."

Audrey stormed back into the restaurant without retrieving her purse. She watched out the window as Chad walked away from the restaurant, got into his car and drove away. "Good," she thought.

"Can I help you?" the hostess asked as she took her place behind the podium.

"Yes," Audrey replied. "My name is Audrey Jordan and I'm meeting Lawrence Arrendale."

"Oh, he called earlier and left a message for you."

Audrey took the slip of paper that was handed to her and thanked the hostess.

Audrey, meet me on the patio. Lawrence.

Audrey stepped outside into the cool night air and walked around the side of the building. Beside the restaurant was a small patio landscaped with a reflecting pond and arched pillars. The night was clear and full of stars and the light of the street lamps played against the water. It was a beautiful night and a romantic setting. She smiled to herself, wondering what her surprise could be, but when she looked around there was no sign of Lawrence.

"Lawrence?" she called out. There was no answer, but she thought she heard a noise behind her. Before she could turn around something struck her on the back of her head. She felt a moment of blinding pain before she collapsed to the ground and blacked out.